HIST231: Empire and States in the Middle East and Southwest Asia

Unit 6: The Ottoman EmpireThe collapse of the Abbasid Empire at the end of the 13th
century enabled Turkish rulers in eastern Asia Minor to consolidate
political power in the region. Over the course of the 14th
and 15th centuries, Ottoman Turks chipped away at the
Byzantine Empire and established control over territories in the
Balkans. In 1453, the Ottomans captured the Byzantine capitol of
Constantinople and the Turkish sultanate quickly emerged as a major
world power. The Ottoman Empire continued to expand into Eastern Europe
and the Mediterranean Basin during the 1500s, but gradually became
overextended in the East and the West. During the next three centuries,
the Ottomans attempted to consolidate their far-flung political and
military holdings while dealing with new threats along the periphery of
their empire. During this time period, the Empire also entered a period
of economic and cultural decline, and, by the mid-19th
century, it had lost much of the economic and political power it had
once possessed. Nationalist movements threatened the integrity of the
Empire and the Ottomans became dependent on Western European banks for
funding to finance modernization projects. Consequently, the Empire was
no longer in a position to resist encroachments by imperialist European
powers. In this unit, you will look at the rapid expansion and gradual decline
of the Ottoman Empire from the 1300s through the end of the
19th century. You will examine the administrative structure
of the Ottoman state and consider why central authorities failed to
implement important social, cultural, and economic reforms in the
18th and 19th centuries. Finally, you will
examine how European nations began to undercut the economic and
political power of the Empire at the beginning of the 19th
century.

Unit 6 Time Advisory
This unit will take you approximately 11.5 hours to complete

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Subunit 6.1: 3 hours

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Subunit 6.2: 4 hours

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Subunit 6.3: 2.5 hours

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Subunit 6.4: 2 hours

Unit6 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
- Identify the origins of the Ottoman Empire in the 13th
century.
- Assess how the Ottomans established political and economic control
over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
- Analyze the political, economic, and military interactions between
the Ottoman Empire and the nations of Europe in the 18th and 19th
centuries.
- Assess the reasons behind the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Instructions: This brief encyclopedic entry provides an overview of
the origins of the Ottoman Empire. Reading this text and taking
notes on how the Ottoman Empire came to be should take you
approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.

Instructions: Read the entire text closely. Halil Inalcik is the
most recognized historian of the Ottoman Empire; in this text, he
examines how a small principality transformed into a major world
empire. You may consider the questions at the end of the text, but
please note that you do not need to fill out and submit your
personal information. The reading should take you approximately 2
hours to complete.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.

Instructions: Please skip the poem at the beginning and start
reading from the text below it. The narrative is based on
eyewitness accounts and reflects the view of those who are
conquered. It is a very vivid description of the capture of the
capital city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Keep in mind
that its walls defended city over a thousand years. After you read
this text, write a brief paragraph that describes the fall of
Constantinople. You should dedicate approximately 4 hours to
reading this text, taking notes, and writing this paragraph.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.

Instructions: Please read the entire webpage to learn about the
class system and the general hierarchy in the Ottoman Empire. The
reading and taking notes should take you approximately 1 hour to
complete.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.

Reading: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook:
Paul Halsall’s version of “A Visit to the Wife of Suleiman the
Magnificent”
Link: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook:
Paul Halsall’s version of “A Visit to the Wife of Suleiman the
Magnificent”
(HTML)

Instructions: Please read this brief excerpt translated from a
letter (circa 1550) by an unknown Genoese traveler. It vividly
describes a portion of a daily life in the women’s section of the
palace (Harem). It is an exceptional piece, because generally no
one was allowed to visit this section of the palace but the sultan
and close servants. An argument can be made that the Harem was an
Ottoman institution also. After reading the text, take about 10
minutes to write a paragraph that describes the Harem, based on
what you learned in this reading. You should spend approximately
1.5 hours in reading this text, taking notes, and writing the
descriptive paragraph.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.

Instructions: This text describes how the Ottoman Empire went on
decline and the major players responsible for it. The information
is very easy to read but very important, especially considering that
after the collapse of this empire the modern Middle East emerged.
While reading the text, keep in mind that the next unit will explain
the infiltration of the Western power into the region and its
effects. Reading and taking comprehensive notes should take you
approximately 2 hours to complete.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use on the
webpage displayed above.